Nycteris aurita, K. Andersen, 1912

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Nycteridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 374-386 : 384

7.

Andersen’s Slit-faced Bat

Nycteris aurita

French: Nyctere a oreilles longues / German: Andersen-Schlitznase / Spanish: Nicterio de Andersen

Taxonomy. Petalia aurita K. Andersen, 1912 ,

“ Kilifi, British East Africa [= Kenya].”

Nycteris aurita belongs to the hispida group.

It previously was considered conspecific with N. hispida . Monotypic.

Distribution. Patchily distributed in savannas of E Africa including Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 40-50 mm, tail 45-56 mm, ear 25-31 mm, hindfoot 10-11 mm, forearm 37-45 mm; weight 6-12 g. Andersen’s Slit-faced Batis small, with short rounded wings. Longitudinal cleft runs along top of muzzle, covering noseleaves. Furis long and fluffy, medium to dark brown dorsally, and slightly lighter ventrally. Ears are very long but of medium length for a slitfaced bat. Wing membranes are dark brown. There are no obvious sexual differences in pelage.

Habitat. Savanna and open woodland, coastal forests, and coconut plantations.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Lactating Andersen’s Slitfaced Bats were collected in December and May in Tanzania.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Cockle et al. (1998), Eisentraut (1958), Van Cakenberghe & De Vree (1993a), Van Cakenberghe & Happold (2013a).

Figures

1. Bates’s Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris arge), 2. Intermediate Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris intermedia), 3. Dwarf Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris nana), 4. Dja Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris major), 5. Malayan Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris tragata), 6. Javan Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris javanica), 7. Andersen’s Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris aurita), 8. Large Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris grandis), 9. Hairy Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris hispida), 10. Large-eared Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris macrotis), 11. Madagascar Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris madagascariensis), 12. Parisi’s Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris parisii), 13. Wood's Shitfaced Bat (Nycteris wood), 14. Gambian Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris gambiensis), 15. Egyptian Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris thebaica)

Distribution. Patchily distributed in savannas of E Africa including Somalia , Ethiopia , South Sudan , Kenya , and Tanzania .